Voice mail interface

ABSTRACT

A method for interfacing a subscriber to a voice mail component of a telecommunications system is provided. The method includes playing messages to the subscriber when the subscriber is in a message review area and providing a plurality of functions to the subscriber while the messages are playing and including an option of accessing a settings area. The method further includes placing the subscriber in a settings area in response to a subscriber&#39;s command and sequentially listing a series of persistent settings features when the subscriber is in the settings area.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/558,292, which was filed Apr. 25, 2000, the content of whichis incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of telecommunications.More particularly, the present invention relates to a voice mailinterface having a non-hierarchical interface structure that permits auser to access voice mail features without having to memorize commands.

[0004] 2. Background Information

[0005] When a user subscribing to a voice mail service accesses a voicemail system, (for example, to listen to a recorded message), the userinteracts with a voice mail interface. Typically, the user enters apassword to access a voice mailbox and then enters a command (forexample, presses a key on the telephone touchpad) to play a message orto enter a settings area.

[0006] Traditional settings areas rely heavily on menus. To change asetting, the user “navigates” to the appropriate area and modifies thesetting. The user then “navigates” back to other functions. As seen inFIG. 1, conventional placement of functions and settings in tree-likemenus requires that the user be in the right place at the right time toperform any function. For example, the user accesses a main menu aftercalling into the system and being validated. From the main menu, theuser can access various states/settings areas by pressing 1 to reviewmessages, 2 to send a message, 3 to access a personal profile, 4 to setgreetings, 5 to access a groups function, or 11 to scan, i.e., reviewenvelope information for all messages. To return from each state to theprevious state, the user presses the * key. Thus, in order to return tothe main menu from replying to a message, the user presses the * keytwice, once to return to the message review area (after finishing thereply), and once to return from the message review area to the mainmenu.

[0007] As can be seen, users often have to go up and down the typicalvoice mail options tree structure to find a desired function. Forexample, if a user reviewing messages would like to set a password, theuser must press the * key to leave message review, press the 3 key toenter the personal profile area, and finally press the 1 key to accessthe set password area. Similarly, the user cannot send a new messagewhile reviewing messages. Instead the user must leave message review andreturn to the main menu.

[0008] Another disadvantage of conventional menu driven interfaces isthat, due to the tree type structure and hierarchical nature of theoptions menus, many features are nested within menus and are thereforenot used or understood by the majority of users. Consequently, usersavoid or have trouble changing the settings of their mailboxes. Further,the tree type structure makes finding options and navigating difficult,to the point where unless the option is frequently used, it is oftenforgotten or thought to not exist. As a result, most users eventuallylearn how to change their greeting, and little else.

[0009] Conventional voice mail interfaces are also saddled withdrawbacks when adding a new setting. In order to add a new setting,several decisions are required. First, the location in the decision treemust be selected. Second, how to restructure new and existing featuresto attempt to maintain consistency must be determined. Third, how toinform subscribers of the new setting must be decided. That is, thebasic architecture of the service must be redesigned when adding newfeatures to the service.

[0010] The Message Center, a voice mail system available from PacificBell Telephone Co., is a conventional menu driven voice mail program. Aswith all conventional voice mail interfaces, the user must develop abasic mental map before being able to easily navigate from state tostate. The typical user will invent and share “shortcuts” that allow afunction in one state to be immediately accessed from another state. Anexample is using 3-3-7 to erase a message. This shortcut spans two majorprogram states: message listening, in which 3-3 means “go to the end”and 7 means “reduce volume”; and message disposition after the messagehas played, in which 7 means “erase.” Notice in the midst of 3-3-7 thatthe 7 key changes meaning. A user must understand that just pressing 7during a message will not erase it and that the user must first go tothe menu that follows the message and then erase the message.

[0011] It is more user friendly to allow any command to be issued at anytime (where practical). The Message Center and CallNotes, a voice mailsystem available from Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., took a step inthis direction by collapsing message listening and message dispositioninto a single state (you can erase a message during and after amessage). However, a system is still needed to take this approachfurther. That is, a system is desired that reduces the number of statesor modes of the application, gives prominence to commonly usedfunctions, at the expense of less-used or advanced-user functions, andis as similar as possible to the current interface.

[0012] It is known that only about ten percent of voice mail users willlook at the user's manual. It is also known that calls to customerservice are a significant expense. But perhaps the most expensiveconsequence of complex voice mail interfaces is the effect thatfrustration can have on customer satisfaction, retention, andword-of-mouth referrals.

[0013] Therefore, a need exists to simplify the user interface of voicemail systems. Accordingly, the present invention attempts to make everyfunction or feature available at all times in order to reduce the amountof learning and customer support time required, and to increaseday-to-day user satisfaction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The present invention is further described in the detaileddescription that follows, by reference to the noted drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention,in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughoutseveral views of the drawings, and in which:

[0015]FIG. 1 shows a state diagram of a conventional voice mailinterface; and

[0016]FIG. 2 shows a state diagram of a voice mail interface, inaccordance with an aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] In view of the foregoing, the present invention is directed tosimplifying the user interface to voice mail systems. The presentinvention includes a flat, non-modal, non-hierarchical interfacestructure. Whenever possible, the amount of “navigation” required hasbeen eliminated or kept to a minimum. That is, all options and settingsor placed in a single location: the Settings Area.

[0018] An object of the present invention is to provide an easy to learnand convenient to use interface to a voice mail system. In order toachieve this object, the interface does not include a main menu,reducing navigation throughout the interface. More specifically, theuser can press a predetermined key (e.g., “0”) to enter a specialSettings Area. Once in the Settings Area, the system presents optionsthat the user can select. When an option is selected, the user can setthe desired preference for that option. Thus, the user need only learnthe predetermined key and the system will then guide the user throughthe process. According to another aspect of the present invention, moreexperienced users can press a second predetermined key (e.g., the poundkey) to quickly skip to the setting the user needs. After completing thesetting, the user is returned to message review. Alternatively, a thirdpredetermined key (e.g., the star key) can cancel an action andimmediately return the user to message review.

[0019] According to an aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for interfacing a subscriber to a voice mail system. The methodincludes immediately placing the subscriber in a message review areawhen the subscriber enters the voice mail system and playing messages tothe subscriber. The method also includes providing multiple functions tothe subscriber, which are available while the messages are playing. Themethod further includes placing the subscriber in a settings area inresponse to a subscriber's settings area command, sequentially listing aseries of settings features when the subscriber is in the settings area,and changing one of the settings features in response to a subscriber'ssettings command. According to another aspect of the present invention,a subsequent message is played a predetermined time period after acurrent message finishes playing, in the event that the subscriber doesnot enter a command.

[0020] Sequentially listing a series of settings features also includesplaying a prompt listing the title of each settings feature and, whenthe settings command has not been entered, playing a second promptdescribing each settings feature. When the settings command has stillnot been entered, the first and second prompts describing the settingsfeature are again played, and when the settings command has still notbeen entered, prompts associated with a subsequent command are played.

[0021] Sequentially listing a series of settings features may alsoinclude skipping to a next settings feature when receiving a skipcommand from the subscriber and repeating a previous settings featurewhen receiving a repeat command from the subscriber. When the subscriberenters a return command during the sequential listing of settingsfeatures, the subscriber is returned to the message review area.

[0022] In one embodiment, changing one of the settings features includesimmediately returning to the message review area after the settingsfeature has been changed. In addition, the series of settings featuresare listed in a prioritized order with a greetings settings featurebeing first. Changing one of the settings features involves sequentiallylisting parameters for changing the settings feature.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, aninterface to a voice mail system embodied on a computer readable storagemedium is provided. The interface includes a message review area fromwhere messages are played to a subscriber, and a settings area. Themessage review area is immediately accessed when the subscriber entersthe voice mail system. The settings area is accessed from the messagereview area when the subscriber enters a predetermined command. Multiplesettings features are sequentially accessed from the settings area; andmultiple functions are directly available from the message review area.In one embodiment, the message review area plays a subsequent message apredetermined time period after a current message finishes playing, inthe event that the subscriber does not enter a command.

[0024] A number of prompts associated with each settings feature areprovided. A first prompt is played to identify the title of eachsettings feature and, when the settings command has not been entered, asecond prompt is played describing the settings feature. When thesettings command has still not been entered, the first and secondprompts are played again, and when the settings command has still notbeen entered, a first prompt associated with a next command is played.

[0025] According to one embodiment, a next settings feature is skippedto upon receiving a skip command from the subscriber and a previoussettings feature is repeated when receiving a repeat command from thesubscriber. Furthermore, when the subscriber enters a return command,the subscriber returns to the message review area.

[0026] According to one aspect of the invention, the subscriberimmediately returns to the message review area after a settings featurehas been changed. The settings features also include a greetingssettings feature, which is listed first and other settings featureslisted in a priority order. Sequentially listed parameters can also beprovided for each settings feature, the parameters being for changingthe settings feature.

[0027] By providing the flat interface of the present invention, newsettings can be added to a list of settings and can be used immediatelywithout special user training. The user simply presses 0 to access theSettings Area and then either waits or jumps to the new setting. Thus,the menu structure need not be redesigned whenever a new setting isadded.

[0028] The present invention provides business and residentialsubscribers with access to many basic and advanced voice mail messagingcapabilities. Subscribers can receive and review various message types,including voice mail, fax, and email. They can reply to a receivedmessage via Live Reply/Message Direct (i.e., the sender is calleddirectly) or with a recorded message, depending upon the availability ofthe sender information. They can send a copy of a received message toother subscribers and non-subscribers, provided that the receivedmessage is not marked private. They can also record messages to be sentto both subscribers and non-subscribers. Through the Settings Area,subscribers can change various mailbox features and access additionalfunctionality, including: Greeting(s), Password(s), Erased Messages,Transfer to Pager, Caller Transfer, Phone Search, Distribution Lists,Recorded Name, Time and Date Stamp, New Message Notification, PhoneNumber Nicknames, and Helpful Hints. Subscribers can also have extensionmailboxes, with one group greeting and individual extension greetings.Other features are of course contemplated by the present invention. Interms of overall style, the prompts are brief and direct, allowing focuson the messages themselves, and making the interface feel as “light,”unobtrusive, and forgiving as possible.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when theuser calls in to check messages for the first time, the voice mailsystem: presents a brief thanks, an introduction about what is going tohappen, how long it will take, and how it can be handled by the user.The system then walks the user through steps for changing the temporarypassword, selecting/creating a greeting, and recording a nameannouncement. The system confirms each step when appropriate and offersthe user the option to do it over. The system also coaches the user oneach feature and setting as appropriate; and only continues to the nextitem when the last item has been confirmed. The voice mail systemresumes initialization on the next call if the user hangs up before allof the settings have been presented at least once. Initializationresumes where the user left off, preventing the user from having to redoany previously completed portion of the initialization process. Theinitial call ends with a quick tip on operation and a thank you, andputs the user into the user's mailbox on that first call.

[0030] By far the most common activity for users is listening to newmessages, both voice and fax. If a subscriber has multiple phone linesfor one mailbox as a feature, then messages from multiple phone lineswill be available for review within a single mailbox of the presentinvention. When the user calls to listen to messages, the messages beginplaying automatically. Thus, the message review process is streamlined.Each message is numbered (“First new message, second new message”), andthen the time and date that the message was received is played (unlessthe user has turned off the time/date feature from the Settings Area).Exemplary prompts that a user might hear upon dialing their accessnumber include:

[0031] “You have two new messages. Message one . . . ‘Hi there, it'sAlan calling at around five p.m. I guess you're not home. I'll call backlater.’ To repeat press 1, to save press 2, to erase press 3, to replypress 4, to send a copy press 5 . . . [five seconds] . . . Message two .. . ”

[0032] Notice that the password was not requested in this example. As anoption, the user may request that calls from their own phone are notscreened with a password. Callers from other phones, however, wouldstill need to enter a password to obtain access. This user-settableoption is referred to as Password Skip. In this example, the time/datestamp was not played prior to the message. This is another user-settableoption having an on/off option.

[0033] If the user does not choose to repeat, save, erase, reply, orsend a copy within about five seconds, the next message is announced andplayed. This “hands free” operation facilitates wireless and speakerphone review.

[0034] According to the present invention, there is no “main menu,”rather messages begin playing automatically. If a user wants to send anew message, access email, or change a setting, the user may request todo so at virtually any time. Although a number of current voice mailsystems have a system option to begin playing messages immediately,these systems typically retain the main menu functionality but skip overit upon mailbox access. Consequently, navigation back to the main menuis still required to send a message or change a setting.

[0035] Messages are classified as “new” or “saved.” New messages areplayed first, then saved messages, then the cycle repeats. A messageremains new until the user explicitly saves or erases it. Messagesmarked as urgent float to the top of each queue. Saved messages are agedoff after a certain period.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present invention, thefollowing functions are available during message review, the mostimportant of which are shown in FIG. 2. Repeat (1) Save (2) Erase (3)Reply (4) Copy (5) (a.k.a. Send new “forward”) message (6) Jump back ina message (7) Pause message playing Jump ahead in (8) message (9) Jumpto next queue (*) Go to settings area (0) Skip a message (#) Go back toprevious message (1-1) Perform Quick Reply (4-4), Print (5-5), (if an Goto email (6-6) (call a message sender email or fax) directly) Slow downa message (7-7) Play time/date stamp Speed up a message (8-8) (9-9)

[0037] The user may activate each function, both during and after amessage, with a single command. In most cases, a menu is played aftereach message that only prompts for replay, save, and erase. Reply andcopy are included when applicable and print is included if the messageis a fax or email.

[0038] After successfully executing “modal” commands, i.e., commandsunique to an area, such as reply, copy, send, check time/date, or enterSettings Area, the user is returned to the end of the current message.If a message is skipped, saved, or erased, the system moves to the nextmessage. The user can, however, return to the previous message at anytime. If the user does not enter a command within several seconds fromthe playing of the “after message” menu, the system moves to the nextmessage.

[0039] Some branching or “modality” (the condition of being constrainedto the task at hand) cannot be eliminated. As seen in FIG. 2, whichshows the primary modes of the current design, the user is immediatelyplaced in message review. From message review the other major states areall available.

[0040] According to an aspect of the present invention, inactivity onthe users' part is a valid input, and should gracefully allow hands-freeusage and exit from any functional modes in an appropriate manner (e.g.,when listening to emails or changing a setting, “doing nothing” willeventually lead the user back to voice messages). In addition, doublekeystrokes cannot be relied on for mainstream usage, and are reservedfor advanced features only. To prevent a late command, e.g., a latepress of the 3 key, from erasing the following message, which isautomatically played after the previous message, the erase command isapplied to the previous message during the first 0.5 seconds of the nextmessage's number prompt. Other delay periods can be set based upon need.

[0041] Individual features available in an exemplary implementation ofthe present invention are now discussed. A reply feature, if replyinformation is available, can be provided and will cause the system toask the user if he wishes to reply to the message without entering thesender's phone number. When pressing the reply command, the user will beprompted to record a message or to place a call directly back to themessage originator. For sending a recorded message, after pressing thepound key to complete the message, options for review and delivery arepresented. Upon pressing the pound key to deliver the message, themessage is sent with a “reply sent” prompt. If a call is placed directlyto the message originator, the user can return to their voice messagesat any time by pressing the pound key twice, or when the called partydisconnects.

[0042] When a copy feature (allowing users to transfer receivedmessages) is selected, the system asks the user to address the messageto one or more recipients, or a distribution list. When the user hasprogrammed at least one distribution list, the addressing prompt changesto reflect this option. Distribution lists allow a user to enter phonenumbers for a group of people. When the user decides to send, copy, orreply, to the group, the user can address the message to thedistribution list rather than having to enter all of the recipients'phone numbers. The system places no minimum duration on the recordedintroduction that the user is asked to record allowing, in effect, nointroduction if desired. After pressing the pound key to complete themessage, options for review and delivery are presented. Upon pressingthe pound key to deliver the message, the message is sent with a “copysent” prompt. The recipient of the message hears a single time/datestamp that reflects the time the message was received.

[0043] When a send feature is selected, the system asks the user toaddress the message to one or more recipients, or a distribution list.When the user has programmed at least one distribution list, theaddressing prompt changes to reflect this option. According to oneembodiment of the present invention, the message must be at least twoseconds long. After pressing the pound key to complete the message,options for review and delivery are presented. Upon pressing the poundkey to deliver the message, the message is sent with a “message sent”prompt. When replay is selected, the system repeats the message that wasjust played.

[0044] The system should be as forgiving and helpful as possible duringaddress entry. To do this, the system is designed to: recognize validnumbers without a pound key; recognize abbreviations of valid numbers;allow plenty of time to dial numbers; and allow entry of any number upto eleven digits long (if necessary, an extension is subsequentlyprompted, so it can be typed along with the number).

[0045] The logic and timeouts used during address entry will now bediscussed. In order to end an address, the system assumes that entry iscomplete when one of three things happens: the pound key is depressed,the star key is depressed, or a time out occurs. As each digit isentered, the system evaluates the validity of the entry. The system willclassify the numbers entered so far into one of three categories. Thefirst category is VALID, occurring when 7 or 10 digits are recognized asa subscriber, or 11 digits are entered. The second category is MIGHT BEVALID, occurring when: 1 to 5 digits correspond to a entry in a personaldistribution list; 1 to 5 digits correspond to a valid extension; 7digits are entered and 1 to 3 digits are not a recognized area code; or5 digits have been entered and digit 1 is digit 3 of the subscriber'sNXX. The numbers are classified as NOT VALID in all other cases.

[0046] To achieve the desired behavior, three different timeout criteriaare used, depending on the status of the numbers entered so far. A threesecond timeout period is set when a VALID number is entered. A sevensecond timeout is set when a MIGHT BE VALID number is entered. A fifteensecond timeout period is set for all other cases.

[0047] Some example situations using the above rules and timeouts willnow be discussed. One to five digits not recognized as an extension or alist will time out after fifteen seconds. One to five digits recognizedas an extension or a list will time out after seven seconds. Five digitsthat start with digit three of the subscriber's NXX will time out afterseven seconds. Seven digits recognized as a subscriber will time outafter three seconds. Seven digits not recognized as a subscriber willtime out after seven seconds (as long as digits one to three are not anarea code).

[0048] If Message Delivery to Non-subscribers (MDNS) has been activated,an added set of prompts appear during addressing. Message Delivery toNon-subscribers allows messages to be sent to people who are notsubscribers to the voice mail system, by ringing their phones anddelivering the messages when the phones are answered. When the userrequests delivery to a non-subscriber number, if charges will be applied(either per minute or per message) the user is notified of this fact. Inaddition, the system notifies the user that this message will bedelivered to a non-subscriber, and will be returned if delivery is notpossible. If the number is a valid subscriber, the above two steps arenot executed.

[0049] According to an aspect of the present invention, recording stopswhen a pound key, a star key, or a time out occurs. Three differenttimeout criteria are used, depending on the status of the recording. Thetime outs are designed to provide adequate time to continue inputwithout being so long that subscribers become frustrated. A period ofthree seconds is set after initial silence (e.g., silence after a recordtone), after entering a recognized digit or number, or after entering asingle digit that is not valid. A periods of seven seconds is set whenthere is silence after sound (e.g., after recording a message orgreeting) or after entering a number of the expected length that is notvalid. A period of fifteen seconds is set after entering a number ofunexpected length. An exemplary total recording time is 120 seconds.

[0050] Example situations using the above rules and timeouts follow. Abeep tone followed by three seconds of silence re-prompts the user tobegin recording after the tone. If the user records a message and thensays nothing for seven seconds, the system acts as if the message wasthen terminated by the pound key. If the total time allowed for therecording is exceeded (in this example 120 seconds), the user isinformed and prompted to accept or re-record. If the user presses thestar key during the first two seconds, the entire action (sending,replying, etc.) is canceled. If the user presses the star key after thefirst two seconds, the user is prompted to re-record.

[0051] The present invention was developed in response to the fact thatusers typically change one setting at a time, and the greeting is by farthe most often changed setting. The present invention also respond tothe facts that users cannot be expected to memorize a differentprocedure for changing each setting; and settings not very easily foundare not changed, sometimes preventing features of the mailbox from beingused. The present invention also is flexible enough so that morefeatures (and thus settings) can be added in the future, and differentconfigurations of the product can have different sets of settings.

[0052] The present invention does not require “navigation” to and fromfeatures. Rather, several basic design philosophies are adhered towhenever practical in the Settings Area. For example, according to anaspect of the present invention, menus do not lead to other menus, i.e.,menus are only used for the setting itself, not to get to the setting.According to another aspect, lists are treated as lists that the usercan review from top to bottom. That is, lists have no arbitrary limit onthe number of items (which would be the case if each list item was achoice in a menu). Furthermore, the presence or absence of a settingdoes not effect the structure of the Settings Area.

[0053] The new design gives the user a simple instruction for changingtheir greeting or any other setting: “Press the [0] key.” From thatpoint on the user is guided through and instructed about the meaning andprocedure for changing each setting.

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the systemacknowledges that the user has pressed 0 to enter the Settings Area.Subsequently, the system gives a very brief set of instructions: e.g.,“Press pound until you hear the item that you want, then press zero tochange it.” In this embodiment, the system uses the bottom row of keysas user controls: the user may press the pound key to skip to the nextsetting, 0 to change a setting, and the star key to leave the settingsarea.

[0055] Moreover, the system returns the user to their messages afterchanging a setting (it assumes that user wanted to change just onesetting). The system leads the user from option to option if the userdoes not make a choice; if the user does nothing the user will hear eachsetting twice and listen to a clear description of what each settingdoes. That is, the system coaches/assists the user by playing adescription of that setting when the user does not react to the setting.Finally, the system places the greeting at the very top of the settingsarea (so, a shortcut to changing the greeting is to press 0-0) andplaces other settings in order of importance and frequency of use.

[0056] There may be special exceptions to this approach. For instance,after entering the Settings Area the user should not have to press 0 tochange the native language of the mailbox. This is because when usingthe mailbox with an unfamiliar language, it is difficult or impossibleto figure out how to revert to the user's native language. For instance,if Mandarin Chinese had been selected and the user speaks English, theuser should be able to hit 0 to enter the Settings Area and wait until“For English press [1]” is heard. This situation supports the presentinvention's “auto-roll” behavior in the Settings Area, where the mailboxmoves to the next setting eventually if no key is pressed.

[0057] An embodiment of a Settings Area will now be described. Settingsare presented sequentially, one after another, not as branches in a menutree. Moreover, within each setting, parameters are also presented oneat a time. As a result of this sequential approach, the user must listenthrough or skip through all of the items prior to the item desired to bechanged or added. In addition, the user is “led through” the changes,and has few decisions to make other than the choices for the settingsthemselves. Such an arrangement provides the advantage that, if it isdetermined at a later time that the order of settings should be changed,the order can be easily changed. According to another aspect, eachsetting is confirmed at the time it is entered or changed. Consequently,an enhanced feeling of control and certainty is gained.

[0058] When a list (e.g., phone numbers in a distribution list) is beingedited, existing items are accepted, edited, or removed first. Then newitems may be entered. Consequently, inserting an item between twoexisting items in an order-sensitive list can be laborious because theuser must listen to or skip ahead to the insertion position and allsubsequent items must be edited (or erased and reentered). Fortunately,no significant adverse impact of this approach has been identifiedbecause distribution lists are the only lists of significant size, andthey are not order-sensitive. On the other hand, no memorization of listitems or the location of list items is required to modify them, easingenhancement of the list (i.e., changing a specific distribution listdoes not require the entry of the distribution number first, although auser can do so and go directly to the desired distribution list).

[0059] Table 1 shows exemplary key conventions within the Settings Area,which provide for consistency and “availability.” TABLE 1 1 On/off orreturn to messages 1.1 Keep on/off # 1.2 Change to on/off 0 1.3 Leavethe Settings Area * 2 Skip, change, or return to messages 2.1 Skip # 2.2Change 0 2.3 Return to messages * 3 For lists: keep, change, or remove,return to messages 3.1 Keep # 3.2 Change 0 3.3 Remove 3 3.4 Leave theSettings Area * 4 Entering a number number + # 5 No more numbers toenter (just) # 6 Canceling a partial recording or entry (talk ordigits) * 7 Canceling recording or entry and returning to (just) *messages 8 Roll to next setting or item timeout

[0060] The settings appear in order of frequency of usage, so that morefrequently accessed settings require as few as possible steps. In anembodiment of the present invention the list of settings/options (inorder of appearance) includes:

[0061] 1. Greeting(s)—Group and extension or just single line greeting,with options to use a system greeting or alternate recorded greeting,for each phone line when multiple lines are connected to a singlemailbox

[0062] 2. Change Password/Password Skip

[0063] 3. Erased Message queue

[0064] 4. Reminder Messages

[0065] 5. Distribution Lists

[0066] 6. Helpful Hints—includes help topics on the pound key; changinggreetings; features that make listening to messages faster; replying,copying, and sending messages; email review; and advanced callmanagement features

[0067] 7. Time/date stamp on/off

[0068] 8. Transfer to Pager

[0069] 9. Transfer to Attendant/Caller Transfer

[0070] 10. Phone Search

[0071] 11. New Message Notifications

[0072] 12. Outcall Notification

[0073] 13. Recorded Name

[0074] 14. Phone Number Nickname—allows subscribers to record a briefdescriptive label for each phone line (when multiple lines are connectedto a single mailbox), to be played as part of each message header

[0075] 15. Extension number

[0076] This list “loops,” so that Greeting(s) follows Extension Number.The Previous command (1-1) works in the settings area as expected. Notethat only settings that apply will be presented. For example, if thesubscriber does not have email, then no email Helpful Hint will bepresented. Another example is if the subscriber does not have multiplephone lines assigned to one mailbox, then Phone Number Nickname will notbe presented and the Greetings setting will not include multiple phoneline greetings.

[0077] From session to session, a queue of the most recently erasedmessages is kept in the Settings Area. These age off after a certaintime period, and the queue size may be limited so that newly erasedmessages “bump” the oldest ones out of the queue. Unlike every otherqueue, erased messages are presented in reverse chronological order, sothat the most recently erased messages appear first. Controls within theerased message queue work identically to the new and saved messagequeues, but like email the star key allows the user to return to themain voice and fax queues. All functions are available, including reply,copy, send, and save.

[0078] If a user accidentally erases a message, the message can still beretrieved and acted upon. The erased message queue is explicitlymentioned within the Additional Options and is conspicuous within theSettings Area (the third setting).

[0079] After hearing or skipping the last message, subscribers areexplicitly prompted with a set of Additional Options that list the Send,Email (when available), and Settings Area options, and to hang up if thesubscriber is finished. Within this prompt, the Change Greeting settingand Erased Messages are mentioned with respect to the Settings Area. Anexemplary prompt states:

[0080] “End of messages. To record a message to be sent to anothersubscriber, press 6. To review your email, press 8. To change somethingabout your mailbox, such as your greeting or to review your erasedmessages, press 0. If you have finished listening to your messages, youmay hang up.”

[0081] This feature allows subscribers to automatically hear theirmessages and options without having to press a key. Instead, a time outafter message review options, Additional Options (Send, Email,Settings), or after a setting, will move the user to the next message,set of options (after two time outs), or help/coaching prompt (SettingsArea).

[0082] According to an aspect of the present invention, subscribers gothrough a typical initialization process the first time they call theirvoice mail service, including changing the temporary password,selecting/creating a greeting, and recording a name announcement.Subscribers having multiple phone lines connected to a single mailboxwill also record separate greetings for each phone line. For thosesubscribers with extension mailboxes, the subscriber will select anextension mailbox number, change the temporary password, record theextension greeting, record the extension name recording, and thenchange/record the group greeting. This process varies slightly if theparticular extension mailbox is a mailbox having multiple lines, suchthat each phone line greeting and name recording is set up before thegroup greeting.

[0083] Once initialization is completed and messages are received,subscribers will first access any new voice and fax messages.Subscribers can choose to bypass the new messages by pressing the starkey at any time. If they do not press the star key, the new voice andfax messages will begin autoplaying according to priority (e.g., urgentmessages first) and order of arrival. At any time subscribers can skipindividual messages by pressing the pound key. During or immediatelyafter message playback (when the message options are explicitlypresented), the subscriber can choose to do the following: replay themessage by pressing 1; back up to a previous message by pressing 1-1;save the message by pressing 2; erase the message by pressing 3; replywith a recorded message, by pressing 4 (if recipient informationavailable), to a distribution list, to another subscriber(s) for mailboxdelivery, or to a non-subscriber(s) for delivery to that person'stelephone; perform a Live Reply/Message Direct where the sender iscalled directly by pressing 4-4; send a copy by pressing 5, to adistribution list, to another subscriber(s) for mailbox delivery, or toa non-subscriber(s) for delivery to that person's telephone; or if themessage is a fax, print a copy of the fax by pressing 5-5.

[0084] During message playback, subscribers can also: rewind by pressing7; slow down message playing by pressing 7-7; pause by pressing 8;receive time and date (and if applicable, phone number nickname)information by pressing 8-8; fast forward by pressing 9; or speed upmessage playing by pressing 9-9. Once the subscriber has either heardall new messages or skipped past them, any saved messages areautoplayed. Subscribers have the same options during saved messageplayback as they do during new message playback.

[0085] At any time, whether messages are being played or not,subscribers can: send a message by pressing 6, to a distribution list,to another subscriber(s) for mailbox delivery, or to a non-subscriber(s)for delivery to that person's telephone; access email by pressing 6-6;or access the Settings Area by pressing 0. Sent, recorded reply, andcopied messages may also be marked urgent or private. Subscribers alsohave the capability to review and record the message or introduction.

[0086] If a subscriber presses 6-6 to access email, the new and savedemail messages have essentially the same order of presentation andfunctionality as the other message types. Email messages are autoplayedvia text to speech. They can be printed by pressing 5-5. Reply and copyfunctionality are also possible, e.g., by sending a .wav file to theemail sender. Once the last email message is played, timing out willreturn the subscriber to the voice/fax new or saved message queues,depending upon the existence of messages and where the subscriber waswhen first entering email review.

[0087] Pressing the star key at any time will also return the subscriberto the voice/fax new or saved message queues.

[0088] Once a subscriber presses 0 to enter the Settings Area, thesubscriber can move to each setting by pressing the pound key or returnto a previous setting by pressing 1-1. Pressing the star key at any timewill return the subscriber to the voice/fax new or saved message queues,depending upon the existence of messages and where the subscriber waswhen first entering the Settings Area. Subscribers are presented withthe name for a setting. If the subscriber does not immediately press akey, then the prompt continues with information describing theparticular setting. If the subscriber still does not press a key, thenthe setting title and information will be repeated again. If thesubscriber still does not press a key, then the title for the nextsetting will be played, and so on. Subscribers can access the settingthat is being prompted by pressing zero at any time. After pressing zeroto enter a setting, various instructions are presented. Once thesubscriber completes the desired actions for a setting or presses thestar key, the subscriber will be returned to the voice/fax new or savedmessage queues, depending upon the existence of messages and where thesubscriber was when first entering the Settings Area.

[0089] Subscribers end their voice mail session at any time by hangingup. This instruction is presented at the end of the message queues,along with the instructions for sending messages and accessing email.

[0090] Callers who reach the voice mail system of the present inventionwill not necessarily know whether they have reached a voice mail serviceor an answering machine. They will hear either the subscriber's recordedgreeting or a system standard greeting, depending upon what greeting thesubscriber has selected and which phone line was called. If the calledsubscriber has extension mailboxes, the caller will first hear the groupgreeting and depending upon what extension number is pressed, then theappropriate extension greeting. During the greeting and the recording ofa message, bad key sequences invoke a polite error prompt and cause thegreeting to be replayed. Once a caller leaves a voice message, if thecaller knows to press the pound key, the caller will have the option toreview the message, to re-record the message, to mark it urgent, or tomark it private.

[0091] An advantage of the present invention is that there is minimalkeystroke duplication and consistent key assignment. More particularly,there are no hierarchical menu layers and therefore the majority of keyassignments stay the same the majority of the time. Consistently, thepound key moves to the next step/option or terminates entry, the starkey cancels or moves to a previous queue, and the zero key accesses theSettings Area and enables changes.

[0092] Another advantage of the present invention is that minimal stepsand number entry are required. Because of the non-hierarchicalstructure, frequently performed options require a minimal number ofsteps. The service also suggests appropriate phone numbers rather thanrequiring subscribers to reenter phone numbers (e.g., the servicesuggests the last fax number printed to, states the phone numbers inGreetings by Telephone Number, etc.), reducing the need to enter sevenor ten digit numbers.

[0093] The present invention also provides the ability to act with nomain menu. Because there is no Main Menu, subscribers can act to send amessage, retrieve Email, or access the Settings Area at any point whilereviewing messages. This eliminates the need to be in or navigate to aspecific menu in order to do specific things.

[0094] According to another aspect of the present invention, afterentering a string of numbers or making a recording, subscribers canterminate by pressing the pound key or by letting time out move them tothe next step. The pound key is not required, even though it issometimes requested in a preceding prompt.

[0095] Another advantage of the present invention is that the flatstructure of the Settings Area explicitly presents all features byprompting one after the other. The flat Settings Area makes the settingsfeatures more conspicuous, unlike hierarchical structures in whichfeatures are often hidden in lower menus. Also, options are explicitlyprompted and therefore not hidden from subscribers.

[0096] The Settings Area presents the most frequently used and importantsettings first, e.g., Greeting, Passcode (Change and Home No Password),Erased Message Queue, etc. This minimizes the number of times the poundkey must be pressed to reach the more common settings.

[0097] Because of the flat structure and minimal key assignments,documentation will be simple and uncluttered. Instructions should beeasily transferable to Quick Reference Cards. In addition, because theSettings Area is flat, settings can simply be listed without the need toshow paths and menus. Because key assignments rarely change, thetelephone keypad can be shown with the main key assignments.

[0098] All prompts are interruptible and will accept data entry beforeplaying is complete. If a user accidentally presses the wrong key ordecides not to complete a process, the user can interrupt the subsequentprompt and/or cancel with the star key, returning to the previous stepor area.

[0099] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the presentinvention operates on a Unisys mainframe computer employing applicationsoftware release UVMS 12.5, NAP 17.8, MCP 4.61. An exemplary servicecreation environment is Unisys NapTool 15.1. Although the Unisysplatform is discussed, any platform/system have appropriatefunctionality may be substituted.

[0100] Although the invention has been described with reference toseveral exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words that havebeen used are words of description and illustration, rather than wordsof limitation. Changes may be made within the purview of the appendedclaims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention in its aspects. Although the inventionhas been described with reference to particular means, materials andembodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed; rather, the invention extends to all functionallyequivalent structures, methods, and uses such as are within the scope ofthe appended claims.

[0101] The present invention also contemplates including new featuresand functionality, such as features available with The Message Centerthat are not currently in the design. They may also include new featuressuch as Reminders, Future Delivery, Email Reply, Email Copy, andchanging the subscriber's Ring Cycle. Finally, expansion to a UnifiedMessaging service <i.e., access from a personal computer, iscontemplated, as is accommodating voice recognition.

[0102] In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention,the methods described herein are intended for operation as softwareprograms running on a computer processor. Dedicated hardwareimplementations including, but not limited to, application specificintegrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardwaredevices can likewise be constructed to implement the methods describedherein. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, butnot limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributedprocessing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can alsobe constructed to implement the methods described herein.

[0103] It should also be noted that the software implementations of thepresent invention as described herein are optionally stored on atangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium such as a disk ortape; a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk; or a solidstate medium such as a memory card or other package that houses one ormore read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or otherre-writable (volatile) memories. A digital file attachment to email orother self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. Accordingly, the invention is considered to include a tangiblestorage medium or distribution medium, as listed herein and includingart-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the softwareimplementations herein are stored.

[0104] Although the present specification describes components andfunctions implemented in the embodiments with reference to particularstandards and protocols, the invention is not limited to such standardsand protocols. Each of the standards represents examples of the state ofthe art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or moreefficient equivalents having essentially the same functions.Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the samefunctions are considered equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for interfacing a subscriber to a voicemail component of a telecommunications system, comprising: playingmessages to the subscriber when the subscriber is in a message reviewarea; providing a plurality of functions to the subscriber, thefunctions being available while the messages are playing and includingan option of accessing a settings area; placing the subscriber in asettings area in response to a subscriber's command; sequentiallylisting a series of persistent settings features when the subscriber isin the settings area; and changing one of the persistent settingsfeatures in response to a subscriber's command to change the persistentsettings feature.
 2. The method of claim 1, in which the playingmessages further comprises playing a subsequent message a predeterminedtime period after a current message finishes playing, in the event thatthe subscriber does not enter a command.
 3. The method of claim 1, inwhich the sequentially listing a series of persistent settings featuresfurther comprises playing a prompt listing the title of each persistentsettings feature and, when a command to select the persistent settingsfeature has not been entered, playing a second prompt describing eachpersistent settings feature and, when the command to select thepersistent settings feature has still not been entered, again playingthe first and second prompts describing the persistent settings feature,and when the command to select the persistent settings feature has stillnot been entered, playing prompts associated with a subsequentpersistent settings feature.
 4. The method of claim 1, in which thesequentially listing a series of persistent settings features furthercomprises skipping to a next persistent settings feature when receivinga skip command from the subscriber.
 5. The method of claim 4, in whichthe sequentially listing a series of persistent settings featuresfurther comprises repeating a previous persistent settings feature whenreceiving a repeat command from the subscriber.
 6. The method of claim1, in which the sequentially listing a series of persistent settingsfeatures further comprises returning to the message review area when thesubscriber enters a return command.
 7. The method of claim 1, in whichthe changing one of the persistent settings features further comprisesimmediately returning to the message review area after the persistentsettings feature has been changed.
 8. The method of claim 1, in whichthe sequentially listing a series of persistent settings featuresfurther comprises initially listing a greetings persistent settingsfeature.
 9. The method of claim 8 in which the sequentially listing aseries of persistent settings features further comprises listingpersistent settings features in a priority order.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, in which the changing one of the persistent settings featuresfurther comprises sequentially listing parameters for changing thepersistent settings feature.
 11. An interface to a subscriber-basedvoice mail component of a telecommunications system embodied on acomputer readable storage medium, comprising: a message review area fromwhere messages are played to a subscriber; a settings area accessed fromthe message review area when the subscriber enters a predeterminedcommand; a plurality of persistent voice mail settings features that canall be sequentially listed from the settings area; and a plurality offunctions directly available from the message review area including anoption of accessing the settings area; wherein the subscriber is enabledto review all persistent voice mail settings features of the voice mailcomponent of the telecommunications system without taking any actiononce the subscriber is in the settings area.
 12. The interface of claim11, in which the message review area plays a subsequent message apredetermined time period after a current message finishes playing, inthe event that the subscriber does not enter a command.
 13. Theinterface of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of promptsassociated with each persistent voice mail settings feature, a firstprompt being played to identify the title of each persistent voice mailsettings feature and, when a command to select the persistent voice mailsettings feature has not been entered, a second prompt is playeddescribing the persistent voice mail settings feature and, when thecommand to select the persistent voice mail settings feature has stillnot been entered, the first and second prompts are again played, andwhen the command to select the persistent voice mail settings featurehas still not been entered, a first prompt associated with a nextpersistent voice mail settings feature is played.
 14. The interface ofclaim 11, in which a next persistent voice mail settings feature isskipped to upon receiving a skip command from the subscriber.
 15. Theinterface of claim 14, in which a previous persistent voice mailsettings feature is repeated when receiving a repeat command from thesubscriber.
 16. The interface of claim 11, in which when the subscriberenters a return command the subscriber returns to the message reviewarea.
 17. The interface of claim 11, in which the subscriber immediatelyreturns to the message review area after a persistent voice mailsettings feature has been changed.
 18. The interface of claim 11, inwhich the plurality of persistent voice mail settings features furthercomprise a greetings settings feature, which is listed first.
 19. Theinterface of claim 18, in which the plurality of persistent voice mailsettings features further comprise persistent voice mail settingsfeatures listed in a priority order.
 20. The interface of claim 11,further comprising a plurality of sequentially listed parameters foreach persistent voice mail settings feature, the parameters being forchanging the settings feature.